10 on... Wednesday

Because of traveling on Monday, I lost a day this week and completely forgot about 10 on Tues yesterday. And then when I saw that the theme for the week was names, I HAD to answer, so... here you go.

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
My mother wanted to name me after a book she read and loved (a specific one) and that WAS my childhood nickname. I don't know where she got the idea for the full name she chose (which is a slightly unusual take on a fairly common, traditional name that has her book title as the common nickname for both) but despite the fact that my mom spelled it out for the nurse who filled out my birth certificate, it got spelled incorrectly. (it was spelled as the traditional name) And then my dad approved it. So legally, my name is slightly different than the name I go by. Very confusing and complicated.

2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
My maiden initials spell out a syllable, but it's not a real word.

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
I moved my maiden name to my middle name and dropped my boring middle name so I have a name I love.

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin…)
No. Thus far, both of my children have the same initials (the same as their dad) but since the names we have picked out for our future children don't have that in common, and it wasn't really intentional....

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
I had baby names picked out from a very young age, but they changed a lot. And I didn't even stick to the names that I loved when we got married or the one we had both loved when we discussed when we first began talking about having a baby. The only thing that didn't change was my husband's unwavering desire to have a son named after him.

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
My husband is the 2nd and my son is the 3rd. We also will likely use my dad's name and his dad's name (they have the same first name, but different middle names) if we have another son in the future.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
I look at both. There were a few names that I really liked, but that had terrible meanings and that at least weighted me against them.

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)?
Our dogs were named names we wouldn't use for a child, but that are, in fact character names from books or TV shows that we liked, so they aren't "cutesy" pet names.

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
I'm sure there are, but I can't think of any specific names right now. I actually always loved the name Fiona (based on the musical Brigadoon, actually) but my husband once took pictures of a little girl named Fiona (he used to work for a sports photographer) who was this HUGE, masculine creepy-looking little girl who looked like she was going to beat up every one and so he hated it and wouldn't consider it for our child. And then Burn Notice came on and now I think he might consider it as a possibility. But more likely for a dog. :)

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
I love the name Megan because I want to name a child Meg after Meg Ryan who I always thought was adorable. I love the name Allison because of the female lead in my favorite book (The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks) and because my husband's favorite teacher was named Alison and my favorite character on our favorite TV show (House) was Allison Cameron. Right now I also love the name Avonlea and I might have to push for that one if we have a 3rd daughter (our potential 2nd daughter's name is already locked, I think)